Synopsis:

Nineteenth Century Writings on Homosexuality collects together original documents about same-sex desire in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. This comprehensive collection ranges widely both generically and chronologically, including prose, poetry, fiction, history and polemic from 1810 to 1914. Containing a general introduction, section headnotes, a bibliography of primary and secondary source material, and sections on The Law, Science, Love, and Sex, this book is extraordinarily well researched.

Chris White includes writing on trials and scandals, censorship and homophobia, cultural and personal history, love and friendship, lesbianism, aestheticism and decadence, sexual tourism and colonialism, cross-class desire, sodomy and sadomasochism. Bringing together for the first time in one volume a wide range of primary source material, this fascinating book includes many texts unavailable outside very specialized academic libraries.